Tuesday, May 30, 2017

The Warriors have breezed through the postseason undefeated despite the absence of head coach Steve Kerr, due to complications from his back surgery. Good article in SI about Kerr, who said “Some people are just so tunnel vision all the time and ‘I’m going to succeed…in life,’ and they just trample over everyone. The people to me who are the most powerful leaders are the ones who have great talent in whatever their field is, great conviction in their ability to teach it and act it, but an awareness and a humility and compassion for others.”

Since it was “slow” Friday afternoon before a holiday my boss sent me home at three (Tuesday I was slammed). Went the long way home but beat Ceil. She was famished so we went to Moxie Burger. Very crowded on a Friday evening. Stopped by Whole Foods on the way home.

Ceil arranged flowers for a wedding in Brookhaven, which took up most of her day Saturday. Matthew worked from 8 am to 3 pm, then left for his show at Georgia Tech. I was on my feet all day, first cleaning upstairs then doing laundry and cleaning downstairs.

While C was gone I cooked beef quesadillas, folded clothes, and watched a Tom Hanks movie, A Hologram for the King. One of Hanks’ least successful movies, about a down on his luck salesman trying to do business in Saudi Arabia. Hanks likes to make movies about a wide variety of topics, but this one might’ve strayed too far outside the interests of most Middle Americans.

Tuesday at work we were talking about Tom Hanks movies, and coworker Angie asked if we’d seen his movie Larry Crown, where out of work Larry (Hanks) enrolls at the local community college and is taught by Julia Roberts. Cute story. The movie inspired Angie, a 30 year old single mother of two, to do the same. She recently received her diploma.

Went to JFBC Sunday. Another guest speaker, another JFBC alumni now working for Campus Crusade. Sunday afternoon we took Barney down and walked four miles on the Atlanta Beltline, from Ansley Mall to the old Sears Building. Unpaved gravel the first mile past Piedmont Park to the intersection of Monroe and 10th Street. There we visited with a former coworker of mine, who now runs a butcher shop there. Afterwards we went over to Westside Provisions for Jeni’s ice cream. Barney was worn out and sore, as was I.

Sunday night we watched the movie Hidden Figures, about NASA and the Mercury 7 astronauts in 1961.

Monday my back was sore. Worked around the house, and later ran errands: took giveaways to Goodwill, a book back to the library, Chickfila, deposited a check, and mailed a letter. Wanted to get my oil changed but the place was closed. Monday afternoon Ceil cooked beef tips and stir fry, but the beef was so hard to chew that I just ate everything else. Then she went to Lenox with Nancy. She didn’t feel good. Later she cooked a pizza.

W&MC took a long day trip to Charleston with another couple. W got MC a puppy cam for her birthday, so they can keep tabs on Okie when they’re out.

Ceil has some hamburger patties in the fridge so we should be having those soon. Steak probably isn’t the worst thing to eat, though I know restaurants load it with melted butter. It’s the baked potato and other stuff that’s the killer.

A wild story, the entire Tiger Woods story. Good words by Denison, with the comparison to Langer. The final chapter has yet to be written. Hopefully he won’t follow the route of Elvis, Michael Jackson, and to a lesser extent Michael Vick. Hard to be the greatest and have it all, like Nicklaus, Palmer, Gretzky, Jeter, or maybe Montana. I was in a Chickfila Monday afternoon when I heard the story.

Bryce Harper was in the news again, and will probably miss more games, charging the mound and exchanging punches with a pitcher from Zebulon GA. Good view of the Memorial Day uniforms (more on that tomorrow). Like Tiger, I wonder how the career of Bryce Harper will unfold. He plays hard and hustles, but is disliked for the smirk on his face. He and Trout are great players. Both have missed time due to injury, Harper more than Trout. Just heard Trout compared to Bo Jackson, but Trout strikes out less. Last night Albert Pujols hit this 598th home run. He was a beast who faded as his body wore down, as most do. Mantle and Mays faded, Aaron a little less so.

Coworker Brad’s father passed away yesterday from cancer. It had only been a matter of time. Brad’s son’s high school graduation is Wednesday, funeral on Thursday. Then burial in Missouri Sunday, then he travels back next Monday.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Hated to miss The NFL Network's Tope Ten Undrafted Players. As usual the order is skewed to provoke debate:10. ?
9. Tony Romo, Dallas QB
8. Rod Smith, Broncos WR
7. Antonio Gates, Chargers TE
6. Warren Moon HOF QB
5. Adam Vinateri, NE & Colts K: won 2 Super Bowls
4. Marion Motley, Browns FB
3. John Randle, Vikings defensive lineman
2. Dick Night Train Lane, Rams & Lions DB (above)
1. Kurt Warner, Rams Cardinals Giants QBLane was one of the greatest defensive backs in the history of the game. Warner won a Super Bowl and was at times prolific, but he doesn't make the short list of greatest ever.I know what you're thinking: time for Dave's Herschel rant. But Walker was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. There have been Top Tens for individual players: Joe Montana, Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, and Brett Farve.Perhaps it's time for a top ten of top tens that Herschel Walker has been excluded from. These include Draft Steals, Elusive Runners, Single Season Performances, Most Versatile Players, Opening Days, Records that will Never be Broken, Power Backs, Football Factories, Things that Changed the Game, Players not in the Hall of Fame, Rookie Seasons, Myths, Backfield Tandems, Dallas Cowboys, Return Aces, Greatest Hands, End Zone Celebrations, Toughest Acts to Follow, Players that Never Played in the Super Bowl, Heisman Winners in the NFL, Things we loved about the 1980's, Running Backs of the 1980's, Underrated Players, Rushing Seasons, Ageless Wonders, Football Curses, Fastest Players, and perhaps Players You Love to Hate. Should've been in all these, but was scarcely mentioned once or twice. Surely his was number one on Greatest In-Season Trades."Records that will never be broken" first aired in 2011, but was updated the next year after Johnny Unitas' record of 47 straight games with a touchdown pass was broken by Drew Brees. You think they would've seen that one coming.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_Top_10

Sunday, May 28, 2017

We parked at Ansley Mall and accessed the Beltline near our old house.

This part of the Beltline replaced the old train tracks

that ran just south of Ansley Mall, crossing Monroe near 10th Street,

and crossing Ponce de Leon next to the old Sears Building.

The path was gravel all the way from Ansley Mall to Monroe Drive.

We passed the Shops at Amsterdam (above),

which included one of several restaurants along the way.

People were using the Beltline to get to Piedmont Park,

where every Sunday night they have free music (above).

After crossing Monroe we welcomed the smoother pavement. Soon we could see Ponce City Market in the distance. We passed the magnolia tree that once stood in centerfield in Ponce de Leon Park (below left).

The tall tower at Ponce City Market was the site of the reception for the wedding that Ceil and Molly provided flower arrangements for yesterday. Photo below taken while crossing the old railroad bridge crossing Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Ceil went to Binders at the Ponce Market while Barney and I rested in the shade, people-watching and dog watching.

Saw an interesting pair of high-heeled Nikes (below).

Ceil wanted me to take a picture of the painting

behind the bench I was sitting on.

People were walking from the Beltline (and the parking lot).

Vendors selling their wares across from the old magnolia tree.

Midtown Atlanta rises behind the shopping center

on the site of Ponce de Leon Park.

The name of the artist caught my eye.

Wondered what he was doing in retirement.

Artwork underneath the Virginia Avenue overpass. The red you see at the far right is my former coworker Greg Wheat's butcher shop. When we stopped to get Barney water behind his shop I ventured inside to say hello. Greg came out to meet Ceil, and we caught up with each other.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

Is Chickfila service starting to slip? The Roswell location on Holcomb Bridge at 120 is always swamped on Saturday’s. Oftentimes they’ll have an employee taking orders by hand to move things along quicker. Coworker Rodney had an extra-long wait two straight mornings this week at the Duluth location on Peachtree Industrial (but they’re always busy then, and at lunch.

Yesterday I had a longer than usual wait for my one CFA sandwich at the east Roswell/south Johns Creek store on Holcomb Bridge near Nesbitt Ferry (aka Rivermont Square), even though there were plenty of employees and it wasn’t that busy. I think there was a big order ahead of me that my guy was trying to fill. Other employees were busy filling the long line of drive thru orders. One girl was at the front, waiting to take the next order. At least three of us were waiting on our orders. A husky assistant manager came through, saying goodbye to the busy employees. Got my sandwich and headed to my car. On my way out I passed the assistant manager headed to his Ford 150, with shirttail untucked. An overall uncharacteristically below average experience.

Still, Chickfila’s service is head and shoulders better than most other fast food places. The less than excellent service is usually due to the influx of customers. Most of the time Chickfila’s are on top of these things. I hate to bad mouth them, considering all the good they do in the community. Besides, the liberal media is constantly taking cheap shots at the company. The funniest story was the one that rated Burger King’s smaller / frozen / processed chicken sandwich as superior to Chickfila’s larger / fresher / cheaper sandwich.

The rebuilt RaceTrac on Peachtree Industrial is filled with employees every morning, as is the Jimmy Carter RaceTrac exactly 1-1/2 miles away. Both places are quite busy, mostly with construction and lawncare workers grabbing ice, water, drinks, food, and gasoline. In the evening the stores are much less busy.

Matthew cooked dinner Monday night, so I drove straight home from work. Hand breaded chicken nuggets, fried rice, and tossed salad. Real good. When I was cleaning up I found five more uncooked nuggets in the batter so I popped them in the oven to cook. M ran to Whole Foods to get something for Ceil. I hit golf balls. C watched The Voice, then I watched the Braves.

Monday night I didn’t sleep well, so Tuesday night after dinner (spaghetti) I went in the living room at 8 pm and napped for over an hour. C watched Great News and the finale of The Voice, so I didn’t miss anything. Packaged three bobbleheads to ship. Slept better last night but I’m still yawning this morning.

Woke up right when the heavy rain was hitting. Also high winds. Not much later Barney gave me the look. Lately we’ve been letting him out the back door by himself and he does his business and comes back. Last night he came running back in, and kept shaking off the water. He stayed wet for a long time. Later he acted like he wanted to go back outside. I knew what that was about so I put on his leash. We went out into the garage. He looked at the rain and turned around to go back inside. Smart dog.

With all the rain the creek behind our house is really raging. In the dark you can hear it flow. Still a ways away from flooding over the east bank into the woods (we’re on the opposite west bank, up a hill out of danger.

Wednesday morning my fortune cookie read “Tomorrow you will find the item you have been searching for.” I better figure out what it is I’m looking for. A great job? Great deal on a car? World peace?

Something came up right before I was going to leave work Wednesday, so I stayed a little later than usual. Ceil was arranging flowers for the wedding she is working this weekend, so she drug in after me.

Got home and took Barney outside on his leash. Went in the back yard. Usually he likes to go around to the far side, but for some reason he looked into the woods and didn’t want to go any further. Strange – he never does that. Then he led me onto the deck to the back door. As usual, I snapped off the leash before I opened the door. But the back door was still locked, so I grabbed his collar to lead him back around to the garage. I thought he wanted to go inside, so I let go of his leash.

As we came around the side of the house Barney saw the lady two doors down mowing the grass, so he dashed off to see her. The lady’s back was to us, so it surprised her when Barney showed up. I smiled and waved, then just as quickly Barney started running back toward me. He ran past and did his business in the woods behind our house, in another of his favorite spots. It was near the crest of the hill leading down to the creek, that was still swelled from the rain. Barney didn’t need to go down there. But when he finished he was ready to go inside. Crisis averted.

Slow evening after that. M came home from work, excited about an opportunity to move into food prep at Whole Foods. Perhaps his first step to becoming a chef. He and friend Frank had finally finished recording their album, a task they’d working on for several months. Their band is playing at the Georgia Tech Student Center again soon.

Thursday night Ceil attended a graduation ceremony. I made several stops on the way home: QT to get air in my tires. Chickfila for a sandwich. Kroger for gas. Dollar Tree for an air gauge. Watched Seinfeld, Last Man Standing, and The Middle. Went to bed at 10 pm.

Thursday I avoided the bagels that were brought in to the office. This morning we have cat-head biscuits from Martins. Very good.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Differences between the Braves signing Bartolo Colon and the Hawks’ contract with Dwight Howard:

1. The Hawks were expecting Howard to carry them deeper in the playoffs.

2. The Braves only signed Colon to eat innings this year while the young guys matured in the minors.

3. Howard’s contract is a multi-year deal.

4. Colon’s contract is only for one year. If he does well they can trade him for prospects at the end of July. If he bombs they can release him.

The Hawks new GM said yesterday he would follow the Warriors strategy of avoiding bad contracts, a hint that they won’t offer Millsaps the big bucks.

TookLeBron 33 more playoff games to break Jordan’s scoring record. Someone said if LeBron won ten rings in eleven years that people would bed mouth him for the one year he didn't win. Bad example. LeBron is nowhere close to winning ten rings. No problem losing a game to Boston. I think I like Cleveland better than Boston with Isaiah Thomas. But I'll be rooting for Golden State. Some people think LeBron tweaked his back. First time in his career with four first half fouls. The 680 guys thought LeBron created some drama (the loss, the fouls) to get his team to turn it up a notch. They didn’t need it against Boston, but they will against Golden State.

MJ was the fiercest competitor in NBA history, virtually willing his teams to championships. LeBron is a larger, stronger version of Jordan, perhaps a superior athlete but more easygoing. Not sure LeBron can win as many championships.

Will the Celtics keep Isaiah Thomas next year? As good as that kid Ball id, his father would be a huge distraction. Kid seems to have a good head on his shoulders, but he did make some typical 19-year old comments in his ESPN the Magazine article. When UCLA went overseas (China?) he hated the sightseeing tours, saying “I can see that stuff on the internet.”

Did you stay up for the end of the Braves game Tuesday night/Wednesday morning? It got over at 1:50 am. I didn’t, but the Braves won in a walk off by your new kid Adams. The Braves have won seven of their last nine. Snitker may have been so mad at the guy for blowing the Wednesday game that he left him in to take his lumps, saving all the other pitchers who had pitched until 2 am earlier that same morning.

Dansby had been given the day off but came in late as a defensive replacement after Peterson had made an error. Fans are expecting Swanson to field like Andrelton and not make rookie mistakes, which is unreasonable. This is only Dansby’s third year of pro ball. He will grow and learn from his mistakes, but some things take time. Everyone can’t be the best player in baseball right out of the gate. The fans who were calling for Swanson to be sent down to the minors are quiet now, since he came out of his slump.

Posted the picture earlier this week of Peachtree and Wesley from the early 1940’s (1943?). A temporary one lane bridge had been erected on Peachtree so cars on Wesley could pass under. I emailed the picture separately. The bridge was called a Tournapass. Have any memory of this? Landmarks in the photo look familiar, including the hill where St. Philips is, but you can’t see SPdL. Would’ve been great to see that old city auditorium. In Macon the old city auditorium still stands, restored after I had played youth basketball there in the 70’s. Also the old train station.

Red Lobster is good for adding on the pounds.

Hard to believe that Tracy Taylor's son is graduating from high school.

C is arranging flowers for a wedding Saturday and I’m tempted to drive to Chattanooga for their bobblehead game. I don’t need to, it will take up the entire day. My car’s electrical system acting up, but just a little. Messing with my book on CD reading program. Currently reading a book on Thomas Payne, from the American Revolution.

So many these days just accept what people say, without searching to determine whether it is true. A former contemporary of mine shared a young preacher’s blog post on social media, Guy was fed up with the traditional church. Some of his content was on the mark, but other points were spiteful, hateful, inconsistent, and outright un-Biblical. Many people agreed with the preacher, but a few pointed out the error of his ways. Made me wonder how Jesus would respond to the church should he come back today.

When I was growing up we attended Northminster Presbyterian in Macon for most of my elementary school years. Children’s choirs and youth choir. In high school I started attending Northside Christian Church, where I was baptized on Easter Sunday 1975. This August Northside is having a reunion, and I will try to attend.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

If Jesus walked the earth today, what would His reaction be to the church? Would He see all the broken people encouraged by the place, or would Jesus spew the whole thing out of His mouth? For sure Jesus would show love and extend grace. Whatever He said or did would confirm scripture, and certainly not contradict. Would He ridicule immature Christians for their baby steps, or would He gently prod and encourage them to greater things? I’d hope the latter.

These days few people leave their comfortable lives and families and sell their possessions to follow God’s call. Are we the rich young rulers of today, sadly going back to our jobs and lifestyles instead of serving Christ? Probably. I have my reasons for living my life, but they are just excuses. But if I were bold enough to go out and serve, I know I need to follow the scriptures, to do nothing unbiblical. God’s message is simple, to love others and extend grace to those hard to love. But I can’t throw out the rest of the Bible. Jesus hated sin, and so should we. He loved sinners, and gave His life for them. Jesus did not condemn, but accepted and loved. So should we.

As much as the Christian Church today gets wrong, they still do a lot of right for millions of people who need love. It’s never enough.

Guy I used to go to church with posted this article on social media. I take these type things to heart, and when I have the time I give them a good read – not just the headline and article but also the reactions from readers. Kratzer has the right idea, that we should love others and live by grace. At face value the guy makes a point (several, in fact) but the closer you read, some are outright un-Biblical.

1. I can’t see people as being inherently evil and lost. Grace is the great equalizer.

2. I can’t support a consumer driven Christianity. Me: goodness gracious. Some people surely less spiritual than you may feel better about themselves and closer to God if they have a special bookmark or T-shirt. Remember point number one.

3. I can’t live with one eye open in fear of a bipolar deity. God is love. “Hell, wrath, judgement, and God’s discipline…all highly debatable and open to be differently interpreted, but all silenced at the foot of the cross.” “I refuse to live my life fearing…god who could love me one moment and cast me into hell the next.” Kratzer may be talking about some incorrect theology he heard preached. That doesn’t mean he should throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I am far from a theologian, and I won’t be able to define God correctly here. People want a loving God, not a God who judges and allows bad things to happen. We do not live in Heaven, but on a fallen, imperfect world. God loves us so much that He gives us free will, allowing us to choose whether or not to love and serve Him. Even when we do, we are subject to the bad things that can happen in life: cancer, death, hunger, pain. In life God never said He would remove these bad things, but can help and comfort in our suffering.

4. I can’t ask my wife to submit to me. Again, someone has their definition / interpretation wrong. Perhaps his entire article was meant as a response to a pastor he previously served under, that he didn’t see eye to eye. Years ago the church made a bigger deal about this than they do today. A line in the marriage vows, taken from scripture.

5. I can’t deny the validity of science. Kratzer is correct to say “that scientific discovery and spiritual revelation don’t have to be enemies, but are important threads that are actually woven together.” This is true. But these days the scientific community often presents mere theories as fact, then shouts down and name-calls anyone who points that out.

This same close-mindedness can be applied to those accepting “science” and the theories the world today claims as fact, without doing due diligence. Like Christianity, those believing in evolution, climate change, and even atheism must have faith that what they think is indeed true. When molecules to man evolution flopped, it’s followers pointed to microscopic evolution as proof. When global warming proved to be a fallacy, the nomenclature was changed to climate change. An old earth is based on inaccurate tools of measure: an airplane was discovered under a layer of ice said to be millions of years old. Yesterday’s “truths” continue to be updated as new information comes in. Yet so many adhere to theories as fact, when actually the opposite is true. Like Christianity, faith is required to believe scientific theories that are impossible to prove. Even the Bigfoot video proved to be a hoax.

6. I can’t turn off my brain, deny my individuality, and freeze dry my beliefs. No, but that doesn’t mean one can pick and chose what parts of the Bible to believe and which parts to ignore.

7. I can’t believe the Bible is perfect. Yes, you are free to believe anything you want. But that doesn’t mean you are right. “…aren’t we all inspired by God anyways…” Yes, but that doesn’t make your words the Word of God. The Bible is the word of God. There are various translations, but I’m not aware of major differences that would lead people to discount, change, or remove entire sections of scripture. I must be careful to focus on the Bible and not the words of man – like this very article! Can the heart of the author be seen in how he replies to his readers? He thanks and encourages those who agree with him, but is considerably more terse with those who disagree. A couple of responses detail where the author strayed from God’s truth – but Kratzer did not bother to respond to these.

8. I can’t compete with you and your “sold out” family. Kratzer’s argument falls apart here, showing his impatience, intolerance, and disdain for people who express their Christianity differently than he. I may have some of the same prejudices, but to include such in this list is downright immature. Why would I follow someone so petty and unloving?

9. I can’t love people conditionally. “I want to boldly approach the throne of God having loved too much.” ME: not by posting blogs like this. Sounds like he can’t love people unconditionally. Which is impossible, apart from God. He certainly doesn’t love those Facebook-post, knickknack displaying “Christians” he slams in his previous bullet point.

10. I can’t condemn the LGBTQ community. “I just want to live my life outside of the condemning, discriminating, and sin-labeling mantra of conservative Christianity that shoots first and consults Jesus later – if at all.” Sounds like Kratzer is doing the same. How can he lump the entire church together on this? Just because the church has been wrong in the past doesn’t mean it can’t learn from its mistakes. More conditional love.

The church in general has failed to show love to the gay community, for sure. Many got it wrong to begin with, saw the error of their ways, then responded in love. Even so, the world condemns even these for their words from years and years ago. God has forgiven these leaders, but the world has not. It is my goal to love all people. Sometimes this is hard. Like straight people, there are gay people that are easier to love than others. It is easier to love the easygoing, and harder to love the argumentative and militant. Easier to love the open minded, and harder to love the close-minded and hateful.

11. I can’t embrace a gospel that is for me, no gospel at all. Again Kratzer seems mad at humans for adding conditions to God’s love and grace. Pastors don’t get it wrong on purpose. At least I hope not. Some may be motivated by impure motives like power or money. Kratzer seems angry he believed someone’s false gospel, and he wants to spoil everyone else’s experience. Who exactly is this “Conservative Christianity” he disdains?

Kratzer talks about what’s wrong with the church. Not HIS church, mind you. He didn’t make this mess. What is he doing to make things better? One red flag is when he invites seekers to dialogue if they’re “interested in learning about my spiritual journey and transition to the beliefs I now hold “ without mentioning God, Jesus, or the Bible. Does he just want to stir people up? Is this the best way to address these issues? Does he just want to draw attention to himself? He sure is an angry elf.

Perhaps Kratzer is just now realizing things that I discovered long ago. The church is not perfect – only God is. I cannot place my faith in a human, or an institution run by them. Like many I have problems and issues with the behaviors and comments and stances taken by some representing the church, just as I have problems by political parties, local/state/national governments, news networks, advocacy groups, universities, and sports teams. To expect perfection from any of these is unreasonable.

I have to keep reminding myself to keep my eyes on God and His Word. People will always fall short. Nothing wrong with that, as long as I remember it. Many people work in an industry for many years, then weary and disillusioned, seek out a new career. Nothing wrong with that either. Christians are called to a high standard. It’s tough work. I certainly get it wrong. Sometimes so do those in the church. With the best intentions they may get things wrong. This may drive people from the church, sometimes permanently, sadly. Had these driven away people known to trust in God and not in people, perhaps they could’ve figured out the difference.

Perhaps millennials and gays are attracted to Kratzer’s me against them approach. Contrastingly, when Andy Stanley preaches (if you can call it that) he makes it clear that he’s preaching to himself as much as anyone else. Andy knows he needs love and grace as much as anyone else. I have no problem with someone calling out the church for something they’re doing wrong. Nothing new about that (in fact it’s old and tired).What bothers me about Kratzer is the unbiblical parts.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Last night I noticed the NFL Network had compiled the Top Ten Fastest Players. I’ll have to watch. In the meantime I found several similar lists on the internet, with one often contradicting the other. Many of the lists were subjective, though the criteria is easily not. Like many greatest ever lists these days, many who make it are often from recent times, since the young writers work from their own memory, research be damned.

Hardly any list mentioned former track star Herschel Walker, who ran documented times faster than most players listed. He also played a little NFL football, retiring with the third most combined yards in NFL history. You can’t be slow and be the only player in NFL history with a run, catch, and return 90 yards or longer.

But elsewhere the Bleacher Report also said Herschel ran a 9.3 100 and 6.15 in the 60, to Bo Jackson’s 6.18 in the 55 meters. Not sure where this information came from. But a read of the article below substantiates Walker’s superiority.

FloTrack.com reports Herschel’s 100 time as 10.23, ahead of Deion but behind twelve others, including Ford, Hayes, Brown, Green, Graddy, Gault, and Branch. Against Carl Lewis in the 60 yard dash Walker finished second with a 6.12, placing him third on FloTrack’s list.

FloTrack also named Eric Metcalf as one of the greatest in both sports. Metcalf retired with as many return yards as anyone, and also set several records on the track as well.

Monday, May 22, 2017

This year's neighborhood banner. Hopefully year three of four straight with a Murphy on the banner:2015 Anna 2016 Mary-Clayton and Will2017 Matthew2018 Will2019 AnnaThe last two times we had Mellow Mushroom pizza for lunch at work I got sick by 6 pm - probably because I had eaten too much. Friday I only ate two pieces. Left work shortly after 1 pm and headed toward the ballpark. Met LJ at Yearwood's office, and we walked from there. Got there early so we walked around The Battery. Stepped inside the Baseballism store but not much to see. Tossed the ball with Darrell on the green.
Walked around once the gates open. Saw several friends. Was so hot I drank two Coke Zeros. Nice breeze blowing in our face on the third deck. Good game. Braves gained another game on the Nats and secured their position in second place. Took 3 of 4 from Toronto and 2 or 3 from Washington. I'm watching more and more. Dansby's home run Friday night came during the RaceTrac inning, so I got $5.00 of free drinks on Saturday.
Walked back to the car and stopped at RaceTrac on the way home. Was going to drive through Taco Bell but the line was long, so I didn't eat. Got home and had to take Anna up to Roswell to get her car.

Saturday I cleaned some upstairs. A and C went shopping. Took Anna's Jeep to get gas, but had to make a second trip to check out her taillight. Then I drove up to Roswell to RaceTrac and three thrift stores. Found a nice Nike golf shirt, a red Braves T-shirt, and a grey Braves jersey that fit perfectly. I had been wanted a grey road jersey, and this one is great, with ATLANTA stitched on the front, not laser cut and unreadable like the current jerseys (see yesterday's post).
Came home and started some laundry. M got off work and went thrifting with Anna. Drove Ceil to the Dekalb Farmer's Market. Got home and C cooked pizza. W&MC drove from Augusta to Auburn AL for a wedding, then drove back late Saturday night.

Sunday morning Anna went to JFBC with us. Had chicken salad for lunch, then A left for her summer at Camp Highland. I did more laundry, test drove M's car, watched the Braves, and hit golf balls. C had to go back to Decatur for fabric. M went to Passion City Church. He got home late and brought home Chinese food, so for lunch I have that, some ravioli - and Brad brought leftover BBQ from his son's graduation party.
From the early 1940's: looking north at the Peachtree and Wesley intersection.